Chapter 28: The First On-Campus Sale

Chapter 28: The First On-Campus Sale

That Moody had his doubts was no surprise to Leon.

How could there be such a coincidence in the world? He, Leon Shelby, takes one trip to Azkaban, says a few strange things, and less than a month later, Sirius Black escapes.

Leon continued to read the letter. Sure enough, Moody was direct, voicing his suspicions and demanding a reasonable explanation.

"I don't want you involved with men like that, Leon. Do not go down the wrong path. It's not too late. I can help you."

That was the end of Moody's section. He hadn't mentioned anything else, just relentlessly urged Leon to stay on the straight and narrow.

The man is so blunt, Leon thought with a sigh. He can't hide a single thing. He shook his head and read Lupin's part.

"Moody told me what you said in Azkaban. Leon, did you really see a rat with a missing front toe?"

Leon nodded as he read the first sentence. It takes a sharp mind. So different from that one-eyed brute who just jumped straight to accusations.

Lupin went on to say a great deal, both directly and indirectly, clearly hoping Leon would reply quickly and set his mind at ease.

At the very end of the letter, Lupin finally mentioned the other matter Leon was desperate to hear about: Shelby Arms was officially open. Business on the first day had been explosive, and the shop was swamped.

The guns that had "sprouted" in various strange places had been the perfect marketing campaign. Combined with Borgin leveraging his old network of contacts, the shop was an instant hit.

Lupin, on Borgin's behalf, was also asking about the next phase of the business plan.

Leon finished the letter just as he drained the last of his milk.

He walked briskly out of the Great Hall, returned to his dormitory, and took out a quill and parchment to write his reply.

Dear Mr. Moody and Professor Lupin,

Good morning. I'm delighted to hear you've both decided to stay. That is the best news I've had all week.

First, let's address the simple part: the business plan for the shop.

Please inform Mr. Borgin that we will sell the arms in stages, tiered by their power.

For example, we sell pistols for a time. Then we introduce shotguns. After that, light machine guns. We will raise the price at each stage.

Once every Dark Wizard in Britain has one of our guns, we will begin selling body armour and helmets.

We can discuss the long-term strategy in person when I am back for the next holiday.

...

Now, regarding the matter you are truly concerned about: Sirius Black. This is difficult to explain in a few words, so I will not try.

Instead, I am enclosing a photograph for you both. I also offer you a phrase: 'a little sleight of hand.'

I trust that when Professor Lupin sees the photo, he will understand everything. Please, be so kind as to explain it to that brute you're with.

May Mr. Moody's health be ever-constant, and may Professor Lupin always have his dear friends by his side.

Leon Shelby.

After writing the letter, Leon retrieved a photograph he had taken on the Hogwarts Express. In the picture, Harry and Ron were both gagging, having just been tricked into eating bogey-flavoured beans.

And in the corner of the frame, a fat, greasy rat was nibbling on a biscuit. The photo was perfectly clear: it was missing a toe on its right front paw.

Confirming the photo was correct, Leon sealed it in the envelope with the letter. Razor deftly took the envelope in his beak, rubbed his head affectionately against Leon's hand, and then flew off.

Leon sat in his dormitory, a rare, relaxed expression on his face.

So far, all his initial plans were proceeding smoothly, without any major hitches. The first steps for the rise of the Shelby family and the Peaky Blinders in the wizarding world had been taken.

All that was left was to accumulate Galleons and increase his own personal power.

His mind clear, Leon let out a long breath and left the dormitory. It was still early. He intended to spend the rest of his weekend in the library.

As far as Leon was concerned, the Hogwarts library was a treasure trove. It had everything from The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1 to Secrets of the Darkest Art.

The school library has a book that teaches you how to make a Horcrux! he thought. That's insane.

Although he couldn't get into the Restricted Section just yet, he was certain the rest of the library had more than enough to keep him busy.

And so, Leon holed up in the library for the entire weekend, devouring one book after another.

Like any weekend, it passed in a flash. Soon, it was Sunday evening.

Leon didn't go to the library. He returned to his dorm to write a letter to Arthur and John, giving his brothers a new set of tasks.

More importantly, he wanted to ask if they'd died on top of some Gypsy girl, and why the hell they hadn't bothered to write to their own brother.

He was in the middle of this satisfying tirade when there was a knock on his door.

Leon was surprised. After the incident in the corridor, the other Slytherins had been avoiding him like the plague.

He opened the door, frowning. A small, skinny boy was standing there.

Leon's eyes narrowed. "What is it?" he asked, his voice cold.

The boy flinched, a picture of timid submission. Leon felt a flash of irritation. He detested cowards.

Still, he had a good idea why the boy was here.

"Get in," Leon said, stepping aside. "But if you start to cry, you can get right back out."

The boy shot Leon a terrified glance but, after seeming to recall some unpleasant memory, he gritted his teeth, nodded, and stepped inside.

Leon closed the door, sat back down in his chair, and steepled his fingers, watching the boy in silence.

The room was quiet. The boy was trembling, like a frightened little bird.

"Name. Year. Purpose of your visit. And your price," Leon said, his voice flat. "You have thirty seconds. I don't do business with cowards."

The second hand on the wall clock ticked.

"Five..."

"Four..."

"Three..."

"Armand Lowe! Second-year! I want to buy something from you! I'll give you every Galleon I have!" the boy blurted out, the words tumbling over each other.

"The... the weapon you used! The one you used to beat those three bullies!"

"What happened to you, it's happening to me! I need one! To protect myself!"

Leon's expression softened slightly. He leaned back, adopting a more comfortable posture.

"That's more like it. I don't sell my guns to spineless cowards."